


Hey Lucy (I Remember Your Name)

by AKBruce



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Dark, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, High School, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Physical Abuse, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, no magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:34:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27114748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKBruce/pseuds/AKBruce
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is the daughter of the arrogant and rude businessman, Jude Heartfilia, who owns almost all of the mountain valley town of Magnolia, known for it's skiing. Due to Jude's abuse of power he holds over the town, no one in Magnolia likes anything connected to the name Heartfilia, including Jude's only daughter, Lucy. Lucy's a junior in high school hoping to graduate with minimal abuse from her fellow students and with minimal malice from her father. She's going through life miserable and lonely, until a certain boy who was modeling in L.A for a few years returns to Magnolia and takes a sudden interest in her. Can she make a friend and attempt a normal life? Or will she find herself back in the spot she's been in all her life?
Relationships: Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser, Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 33
Kudos: 63





	1. Name

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a result of some of the bad emotions I had in high school. I left it for a bit, but when those feelings returned in college I decided to pick it up again. This is not the happiest of stories, and there is referenced physical and emotional abuse plus referenced self harm and a suicide attempt. If that kind of thing isn't your jam, I don't know how much you'd enjoy this.  
> For those who stayed, thank you. Here's my version of fairy tail as if it was a shojo slice of life or Hallmark movie.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own fairy tail. Also, I have no beta, so don't judge too harshly.  
> The title and lyrics of the beginning of each chapter are from the song Lucy by Skillet. Go give it a listen to feel the vibe of the story.

1: Name

_ Hey Lucy, I remember your name / I left a dozen roses on your grave today _

“Shove out the way, princess,” Someone squalled from above, and Lucy pulled a headphone out of her ear, looking up to see just who had decided it would be fun to torment her today. She wasn’t surprised when she was met with Larcade’s toned face and blonde hair, and that half-smirk half-sneer she knew too well. She held back a glare. There were plenty of seats around the library he and his pals could’ve sat at, an open table literally right next to where Lucy was seated.

And yet, they had to bother her. Sometimes Lucy wondered if they had anything better to do. At the same time she was so used to it that she didn’t say anything, just neatly packed her supplies into her bag, and grabbed her textbook, standing to walk away. Larcade reached out just as she was moving away, squeezing her ass, Lucy flinching but not bothering to yell at him. She walked all the way out of the library, her head focused on the ground, until she hit the outside courtyard. 

It was fall semester, and Lucy’s school had only been in session for about a month. She had hoped junior year meant her classmates were older and more mature, and that it’d been enough time for healing. Of course, she underestimated the capacity of high schoolers being decent humans, and was dealing with the same crap as her past years. She didn’t blame them either. No one liked the daughter of the money-grabbing, non-empathetic, extremely rude ‘businessman’, as he would call himself. He was a tyrant, really. A tyrant ruling the small town of Magnolia.

Lucy sat down on a ledge in the courtyard, towards the corner that was backed by a concrete wall. The otherside of the wall was a classroom, so it was the only side that wasn’t made of long windows. Lucy didn’t like leaning against the windows. She never knew who could be watching from behind. 

She put her bag down next to her and put both headphones in. Breaks in the day were the worst, since she didn’t have any friends to talk to, and she didn’t have much to do. Of course, it was hard to study when she was constantly being pestered. She thought of what her mom would say.  _ It’s not their fault, they don’t know any better. _ Though a small part in the back of Lucy’s brain would say,  _ you deserve it anyways. _

After her mom passed her life was really a downhill spiral. Her mom and dad never got along. Her mom hadn’t even wanted to marry her dad, but her family had forced it on her. Lucy’s dad was not kind, or loving, or anything of the sort. He may have been a decent husband, or kind a few times to her mom, but Lucy hadn't seen it. All she ever got from her father was thorough hate. 

The break bell rang and Lucy let out a sigh. Her next class was the one she dreaded the most.  _ Chemistry. _ Not because she didn’t like the class, she very much enjoyed the material, but sciences meant labs which meant partners which meant having to work with people. No one ever wanted to work with Lucy, either. As she began through the halls she heard the noises of girls gossiping and boys yelling and lockers slamming and phones ringing. 

As she made her way into the chemistry classroom she took a seat in the back of the room, where she could see the whole classroom as well as the board and the teacher. She’d dealt with people behind her throwing things at her back and she was tired of having the distraction of not knowing what was behind her. 

A group of three girls Lucy had tried to befriend before sat in front of her, quietly chatting about who knows what. The shortest one, who had blue hair, as if she’d dipped it straight into the sea, Levy, whispered something about a student in their grade who was returning from his trip to LA where he was modeling. “Natsu Dragneel, he’s like the hottest, dreamiest boy out there,” the girl said, and her friend, Mirajane, who was tall, with blonde hair that was borderline white, slapped her arm playfully. 

“Hey, you already have a boyfriend, leave him for us miserable singles,” She scolded, and Levy giggled. The third girl, who had short light purple hair she kept in pigtails and a smaller body frame that Lucy had been jealous of for a while now, hissed at both the girls. Mirajane smiled. “Don’t worry, Lisanna, we’d never steal him from you. Besides, you’re both models. Wait until you get to shoot together. He’ll fall head over heels.”

Lucy pulled her chemistry book out of her bag, placing it on her desk along with her notebook and pencil. She’d heard of this Natsu Dragneel. Apparently he grew up and went to school here in Magnolia and then ended up getting recruited to LA to be a model. She’d never met him, as she’d been homeschooled up until freshman year, and he left a few months into freshman year. Why would he come back now, though? He’s already missed a month of school. Plus, models didn’t need to be smart or educated. They just needed to be flashy and pretty. Not that Lucy had ever met any models before, but she did enjoy reading online gossip about celebrities.

Lucy cleared her thoughts. She couldn’t interest herself in petty gossip or she’d end up actually thinking she belonged at the school. She’d find herself wishing she had a friend to discuss this stuff with. The teacher walked in, just on time, and Lucy shoved everything besides the converting of chemical elements and stoichiometry out of her head.

- ♛ & 🔥-

Lucy parked her car on the driveway, stepping out and staring at the giant mansion that was her home. It was exotic, large, beautiful, a house anyone would be pleased to own. Lucy hated it with all her being. So empty, so bleh. She went in through the garage, hoping to go unnoticed, not wanting any of her father’s attention. She didn’t see his car in the driveway, but she was always wary, especially in this shitshow of a house. 

She went up to her room, grabbing her work outfit. She’d been surprised when her dad had allowed her to get a job, but considering it was at the public library, he didn’t seem to mind, as it meant she wasn’t doing anything “bad” and had extra time to do schoolwork. She changed out of her grey sweatpants and band hoodie, and into the nice khakis and knit sweater. Though there was no uniform, she was supposed to dress nicer for the library. Her dad would prefer her to wear nice clothes all the time to show their wealth off, but she hated getting teased for being dressed up, so she stuck with the least noticeable clothes. Better to blend in and be invisible than be seen and hated.

She put her hair up in a ponytail, and decided she looked nice enough, grabbing her bag and heading out of her room, back down the stairs and to the garage. There were pictures of Lucy, her mom and her dad hanging on the stairs from right before her mom had died, but Lucy didn’t like looking at them, as they gave her a sour feeling. What could’ve been if she hadn’t lost her mom. The house when it was still full of life and love.

Closing the garage, she made her way to her car, glad that her dad hadn’t come home. She threw her bag in the passenger seat and started the car, heading towards the library. It wasn’t too far, and the ride was nice, as Lucy could see the mountains surrounding Magnolia on clear days. The town of Magnolia was relatively small, but big enough that it wasn’t a you-know-everyone-else-in-the-town kind of place. It was tucked in a valley, surrounded by mountains. In order to get to the town, people had to drive through the mountain pass, but it got a lot of snow in the winter, which meant many people came for the snow. 

That’s where her dad came into play. He owned two of the three ski resorts in the town, as well as much of the real estate, tourist or not, in the town, plus two of the three main hotels. Pretty soon he’d own the whole town. If only he wasn’t such a prick to everyone, maybe then the town wouldn’t care that he owned their lives. People never liked having to pay for things. She couldn’t blame them, though. Her dad wasn’t the generous type.

Lucy reached the library, parking in the staff lot and walking to the front door, locking her car behind her. As she entered, she saw kids gathered around the children section, playing with some of the toys and listening to some of the audio books. There were elder citizens in the quiet area, watching dvds and reading magazines. Teens crowded the computers, many of them playing video games, some of them actually studying. It was refreshing, so normal and beautiful. 

Heading directly back to sign in, Lucy greeted the other library assistant, Cana, who was one of the only people in this town who didn’t hate her. Given, Cana was an alcoholic who ended up leaving her husband in the closest big city and moving here to get some peace and rehab. But, Cana didn’t grow up here and wasn’t the judgemental sort of person so she didn’t have a longstanding grudge against the last name Heartfilia. 

Lucy clocked in as Cana began spewing orders. “There’s some books that need to be shelved in the teen section. Left them for you since I know you love reading the summaries of those romance novels,” Cana winked, giving Lucy a small smile. Lucy shrugged and didn’t deny it. She couldn’t help if she was hopelessly into the lovely romance tales. She’d take what she could get, and all she could get was stories. No one would ever fall in love with her in real life, at least not in Magnolia. 

“Right. You’re the best, Cana,” Lucy said, nodding to her with a small smile before making her way to the section. She avoided tables where kids her age were hanging out, not wanting to deal with any snard remarks. Most kids who chose to go to the library weren’t mean ones, but Lucy didn’t like taking chances. 

She reached the teen/young adult section, noticing some of the kids in her grade huddled around a table talking. 

She pulled the cart into the isle, beginning to shelve the books. It was second nature to her now, especially since she knew the dewey decimal system to a T. If she had any luck, she’d end up running the library when she graduated. Actually, if she had any luck, she’d end up out of this town, writing books that would end up in this library for some other young girl to read.

She shook off the thought. Better to face reality than to fantasize. She picked up one of her favorite romance novels from the cart, one about a socially awkward college girl meeting the popular boy and him falling for her. She sighed, running her hand over the laminated cover. Maybe she could fantasize about a few things.

She placed the book in its spot, one she knew too well, considering she had grabbed it from there many times. 

She turned her head to look at the group of kids from her grade, who’s voices had reached above the library level. She grimaced, knowing she should tell them to quiet down, but not wanting anyone to hate her more. Cana would deal with it. One smell of Cana’s boozy breath and sharp comment and the kids would flee from the library.

Looking closer, Lucy recognized it was the three girls who sat in front of her in chemistry, the ones she tried to befriend when she first started highschool. They were with Juvia and Gray, two of the other most popular kids in her grade. Juvia was so pretty, she was practically Magnolia royalty. A few other boys she recognized were there with them, but there was one she didn’t recognize. 

Knowing she was staring but not being able to look away, Lucy took in the appearance of the unknown boy. He had to be around her age, magenta hair spiking and framing a tan muscular face, and eyes so dark they could be onyx jewels. He was sex on a stick, if Lucy had anything to say about it. 

Lucy shook her head and went back to her shelving. Of course she didn’t have anything to say about it. That would mean she actually cared about what was happening at her school. Which she didn’t. Care about what happened at her school. Definitely not. 

What Lucy was is observant. She blended in most of the time, unless she was getting picked on. But blending in meant easily gathering information, hearing things she probably wasn’t supposed to hear. Which made it that much harder for her to not care. Everyone likes a good amount of drama, right?

She finished the last book on the cart meant for the teen section, sighing. Not too many new romance books she hadn’t read. To be fair, she’d probably read every romance book in existence by now. She did want to be a romance author someday, so it was technically research. 

She pulled the car out of the aisle, keeping her eyes on the ground, watching her feet and the wheels as she headed for the nonfiction section, as the rest of the books on the cart were of that genre. She rounded around the main table section, passing the students. Raising her eyes, wanting to get one more look at the pink haired boy, she jolted when she found his eyes trained on her. He had an unreadable look on his face, and Lucy felt seen. 

She did not like feeling seen. Seen meant people noticing her, which meant people learning her last name, which meant people hating her. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes away from him, though. It was as if his gaze had captured her, nailed her down to that spot, stopping her from turning her head away. 

His lips parted, and Lucy tracked the movement. He couldn’t have been 10 feet away, but Lucy felt as if he was across the world, in a whole different dimension than she. 

Then Lisanna jumped up, placing her hand on his shoulder, and the moment was over. Lucy peeled her eyes away with great difficulty, being brought back to reality. No traveling to other dimensions for her. Just plain old miserable Magnolia under her father's unyielding hand. 


	2. Talk for a While

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back w chapter two. Not too long of a wait there, proud of myself for not waiting a whole month to update! Enjoy :) Xx

**2: Talk for a While**

_ I'm in the grass on my knees, wipe the leaves away /I just came to talk for awhile / I got some things I need to say _

Lucy arrived home from work at around 10pm. The library was open decently late, and then she had to clean up after close. She didn’t mind the late nights though. It often meant she didn’t have to spend any awkward dinners with her father. Besides, she did all her homework in school or during breaks, so she wasn’t behind. She was actually ahead in most classes. Having no friends had its perks. 

She pulled into the garage, hoping her father was in bed. If she had any luck, the cook would have extras from dinner ready for Lucy to heat up. She locked her car, opening the garage door and making her way towards the kitchen. All the lights in the house seemed to be off, which was a good sign that her dad had taken an early night or had confined himself to his study. 

She opened the kitchen door, finding a tupperware sitting on the counter, ready for heat up. She sent a silent thanks to the house cook and put the tupperware in the microwave. Setting the time, she leaned against the counter next to the microwave, surveying the kitchen. It was spotless, of course, but it was large and empty. The white walls had barely any decorations, and the 10 person dining table sat shining, mocking her. Why did they even need a 10 person dining table? She couldn’t remember the last time she even sat there with more than her father. 

The microwave beeped, and Lucy sighed, grabbing a fork and pulling the tupperware out. Glaring at the dining table, she decided to eat in her room, pulling her bag over her shoulder and heading up the grand staircase. So grand. So meaningless. Signs of wealth, not love. The pictures of her mom on the stairwell mocking her, as they always did. The framed newspaper clipping of her mom’s obituary being the final item at the top of the stairwell, with a picture of her mom from high school and “Layla Heartfilia” in big bold letters. 

Lucy pushed open the big tall doors of her room, instantly freezing in the doorway. Her father was sitting on the sofa on the far end of the room, the one she would use to sit on if she had any friends. 

“Food in your room, really Lucy?” His voice was angry, though Lucy had only stepped through the doorway. She didn’t understand what he could possibly be angry about now. 

“You eat in your study all the time,” Lucy pointed out. Probably not the best idea, since she knew what talking back got her, but she was so exhausted. Her bunny, Plue, always curious and sensing her emotions, bounded up to her, rubbing his head on her leg. 

She put her food down on her desk and picked Plue up, cradling him into her chest. She met her father’s eyes, waiting. 

He stood slowly, his gaze angry as always. He had everything in life going for him, yet he always enraged. She placed Plue on her bed, not wanting him to get caught in the crossfire. 

“Why are you home so late?” He asked, his attempt at casualty weak. Lucy rubbed her legs, her dad finally reaching directly in front of her. 

“Closing shift at the library. Wednesday, remember?” She informed him. He wouldn’t remember, but she wanted to make him feel as if he actually knew about her life. 

The slap came so fast she hadn’t had the chance to brace herself. It knocked her onto her knees, and she reached her hand up to cup her cheek. Guess tomorrow was a makeup day. 

“You know your curfew is 9pm. We have a reputation to uphold. I was generous enough to let you work at the library, yet here you are not obeying my wishes,” His cruel eyes looked down on her, and she lifted herself off her knees. He still towered over her, but at least she could gain some ground. 

“The library closes at 9, and I have to clean up after everyone leaves,” She pushed back. She wasn’t in the wrong here at all. She couldn’t make Cana let her off early just because she was Jude Heartfilia’s daughter. She wasn’t like that, and she never wanted to be like that. 

Another slap came, this one on the opposite cheek. Yay, matching pairs. Lucy tipped back on her heels, but grounded herself this time, having prepared for the impact. 

“I don’t care. If you continue to come home late, I will have to call the library and have you removed from the staff. You will not disobey direct orders from me. Clear?” He ordered, and Lucy nodded, not wanting the sting of another slap. His face softened a tiny bit as Lucy cradled her cheek. “I am doing what’s best for you Lucy. You’ll understand when you’re my age and running Magnolia.”

With that, he pushed past her and opened the door, leaving her alone with a light click of the handle. Plue looked up from his nibbling on her bed, his animal senses tingling. She fell back onto her bed, the tears that had been welling up finally falling. Plue climbed onto her stomach, his curious eyes requesting a pet. Lucy obliged, holding him close. Plue kept her sane. Plue made sure she could never go near the knife in the corner of the room, beckoning her. 

She undressed, grabbing her pajamas from the dresser, plugging her computer in and popping her anxiety meds with some water. She slipped under her covers, the tupperware of her dinner cold and forgotten. Plue bounded onto her stomach once more, and Lucy stroked him as the tears fell until she was finally met with blissful nothingness. 

- ♛ & 🔥-

Lucy dreamt of dreamy black eyes and pink hair. He was her unknown knight, climbing her balcony and saving her from her miserable life. She rode off into the sunset with him and didn’t look back.

- ♛ & 🔥-

The morning was a pain. She had to spend extra time on her makeup, covering the two matching bruises on her cheeks from her father’s “loving” hand. She never wore makeup, so this meant she miscalculated her time, and found herself pulling up to school late. 

She was never early, but she was also never late, as the tardy would show up on her grades, and she’d find herself some more “loving” from her father's fists. 

She bounded into school right as the bell rang, the halls practically empty, and made her way to chemistry, which she had first period, since it was a Thursday. She nearly sprinted into the chemistry room, breathing hard as she made her way to her back desk, the kids still chatting as the teacher hadn’t made his way into the classroom yet. 

She caught the end of the popular girl’s conversation, which made her ears perk. 

“Well, today’s his first day, so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll have him wooed by the end of the week, anyways, and I’ll be getting it by Sunday,” Lisanna bragged to Levy and Mirajane, and Lucy held back a snort. Lisanna’s self confidence was overbearing, but Lucy had to hand it to the girl, she followed an agenda and kept with it. 

“Do you know what his first class is?” Mirajane asked, and Lisanna shrugged, just as the teacher cleared his throat. “Oh my god!” Mirajane squeaked, and Lucy looked up, wondering what caused the girl’s squealing. 

It was the beautiful boy from the library. He was standing next to the teacher, spiky pink hair and all. Lucy looked to Lisanna, who’s grin was nothing less than mischievous. Lucy’s brain clicked, piecing together this was the boy Lisanna was planning on wooing. Lucy sighed inwardly. It would be for the best. Maybe if he was taken, she wouldn’t have weird dreams about him. 

She’d awoken from the dream that morning feeling so nice, so weightless and loved, she had to check just to make sure she wasn’t in the separate dimension she always pictured herself escaping to. The dream had come out of nowhere, but it was amazing, and Lucy would go live in it if she was given the chance. 

She blinked, pulling herself down to reality, just as the teacher began talking. “This is Natsu Dragneel, a returning student. He’ll be in this chemistry class from now on. There’s an open spot in the back, Natsu,” The teacher declared, and the world descended on Lucy. The pink haired boy was the L.A. Model. Who had lived in Magnolia until freshman year. Which meant he undoubtedly knew what Heartfilia meant. The last fantasy ran away with the wind. No way he was going to talk to her knowing that. 

The boy made his way towards her, and Lucy realized the open seat in the back was the one next to her. She looked down at her desk, picking her fingernails so as to not stare. 

She heard the oomph of him sitting next to her, and she pulled out her textbook as the teacher started. Just a regular chemistry period. 

Lisanna turned, her seat directly in front of the pink haired- Natsu’s desk now. “Hey Natsu! Can’t believe we already have a class together and it’s only the first period.” She remarked, and Lucy fixed her eyes on the whiteboard, copying down the chemical equation the teacher was explaining.

“Yeah, glad to have a friend in class. Especially since I’m a month behind,” Natsu said, and his voice made Lucy blink hard. It was smooth and kind and gentle while still very confident. It made her want to bottle it up. No! Why did she think that? She scrunched her eyes together, letting out a deep breath and focusing once more on the board. 

“I’d love to help you, though I’m not sure how good of a help I’ll be. I’m like, totally lost sometimes in this class,” Lisanna let out a giggle that made Lucy want to roll her eyes, just as the student next to her shushed her. Thank goodness. Lucy never understood why girls tried to make themselves look dumber for guys. She’d rather have an equal than be worse.

The class continued smoothly, until the teacher finished the lecture, having the class begin the homework. Lucy was halfway done when she heard a series of “pssts” coming from near her. On the fourth one, she finally looked up out of irritation, and found Natsu staring right at her. 

Oh spirits above. He was pssting at her. Lucy froze, looking at the board. She had no idea how to handle this situation. No one had ever talked to her in this class before, besides labs when they were forced to. 

“Hey, I’m Natsu,” He said, and Lucy’s mouth almost dropped open. Her eyelids fluttered and she sat like an idiot, not knowing what to do. “Did you hear me?” He asked after a few seconds, and Lucy turned her attention to him, her eyelids continuing to flutter.. “Are you ok?” He asked after another few seconds. 

Lisanna and Levy, who were directly in front of Lucy both looked back. _ Celestial Spirits aboe save me _ . Could this situation get any worse? She couldn’t have other people noticing her being an idiot. Wait until that got back to her bullies. 

“Who are you talking to?” Lisanna asked, and Lucy looked back down at her paper. The attention was off her. Thank goodness Lisanna was crazy into this guy. 

“I was talking to her,” she heard Natsu say, and her face flamed to boiling point. She knew exactly which “her” he was referring to, but she didn’t look up. “Is she deaf or something?” Natsu asked, and Lucy ground her teeth. She wished she was just so she didn’t have to hear the rest of this embarrassment. 

“Oh, uh… don’t bother,” Lisanna said, her voice full of distaste. Lucy breathed out. She didn’t expect anything less, but it still stung. “Anyways, wanna come with me for morning break? I can help you find your next class!” Lisanna exclaimed, just as the bell chimed. The students started packing, and so Lucy followed suit, still not looking up. She waited a few seconds, watching the ground as the feet around her shuffled towards the door. When she felt it was safe, she stood, lifting her head, to see Natsu being guided out by Lisanna, her hand in the crook of his elbow. That was good, back to how it should be. So why did she feel so damn hollow inside?

- ♛ & 🔥-

It was raining on the cold Thursday, but Lucy still decided to eat lunch in her spot outside in the courtyard. If she positioned herself just right, she could avoid most of the rain and would only get her feet wet. Besides, she enjoyed the rain. It often reflected her mood and gave her a forlorn feeling. 

Lucy opened her bag and pulled her supposed to be dinner out from the night before. She had bolted to the microwaves in the cafeteria and beat the lines as she always did, since she didn’t want to be in the large space with lots of people. 

She shivered as she opened the tupperware, remembering the event from the night before. It was nothing new, and decently kind compared to how he usually was, but it gave her sour feelings nonetheless. He hadn’t been like this before her mom died. He’d had more joy. Now all he felt was nothing with the occasional anger and greed sprinkled in. 

The rain splattering on the ground was one of her favorite sounds, and her shoes and legs, now half wet, began to cool up, giving her body a slight chill. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic sound. She didn’t even need to put her headphones in, the rain was musical. 

“Are you trying to catch a cold?” Lucy’s eyes flew open, her head bumping against the wall as she jumped, looking for the mysterious voice. He was at the doorway closest to the ledge, the one no one ever used since it was from the computer lab. His pink hair was dry, but the toes of his shoes were wet. How long had he been there? 

“What?” Lucy sputtered, too flustered to offer anything else. 

“Ah, she speaks,” He said, moving out into the rain. She watched him with weary eyes as he made his way up the ledge and plopped down right next to her. She froze. Was this a prank? Did Larcade dare him to do this? Was the whole gang on the other side of the windows, laughing? 

“What are you doing?” She ground out, her surprise turning into confusion and wariness. He put his bag down next to hers, like he was actually going to stay there, and pulled a bag of hot Cheetos out. She scooted away a bit, feeling confined by how close he was. 

“Well, I’m not going to let you catch a cold alone,” He stated, as if it was that obvious. 

“Come again?” She turned her head to the side to look at him. This was too many emotions at once. She couldn’t handle the sensory overload. Her anxiety was going to gear up if she didn’t get out of the situation soon. She was supposed to fantasize about him talking to her, he wasn’t supposed to actually talk to her.

“Well, you’re out here, in the cold rain, half drenched, which usually means a cold coming on later,” He spelled out, and Lucy almost laughed. He opened his hot cheeto bag, as if this situation was nothing. “Want one? I like to feel like I’m chewing on fire,” He said, and Lucy couldn’t hold back the laugh. She clasped her hand over her mouth the moment it came out, meeting his eyes. They were sparkling with mischief. 

“Um, no thanks,” She said, relaxing a bit, before realizing what was happening. “You really shouldn’t be here,” She warned, wrapping her arms around her chest. If anyone saw them, and it got out, her father would kill her. Unless Lisanna killed her first. 

“It’s part of the school, right? It’s not like this ledge only has your name on it,” He said, and then raised his brows, as if realizing something, “which I don’t know, by the way.”

Lucy looked back at her hands. “Don’t know what? If the ledge belongs to me?” Lucy asked, confused. She was getting comfortable in the conversation, her words coming out easier. Dammit! 

“No, your name,” He said, and Lucy blanched. She couldn’t- if she told him he’d leave. Which is what she wanted him to do, right? 

“Lucy.” She muttered. He raised a brow. “My name’s Lucy Heartfilia.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments fuel my inspiration to write faster! Fuel me up :)  
> Everyone have a wonderful day, stay safe, and thanks for reading this chapter! Xx


	3. Little Piece of Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Natsu get to know each other and Lucy begins to think she may not be alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello loves, I'm back! First semester is over and now I'm on a blissful break. I'm back to my full time job, but I have more time now that college is over for break that I should have some consistent updates. I hope. Anyways, I hope you're all doing well and staying safe.   
> Please don't kill me for this. It's all part of the story development. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 3: Little Piece of Heaven

_ Now that it's over / I just wanna hold her / I'd give up all the world to see / That little piece of heaven looking back at me _

Lucy breathed out, waiting for him to snark on her, or get up and leave. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see him leave, even though that's what she’d wanted. Maybe she didn’t know what she wanted. She thought just maybe he’d-

“Well, nice to meet you Lucy, I’m Natsu Dragneel.”

Lucy opened her eyes, meeting his gaze in surprise. His grin was wide and beautiful and seemingly genuine. She blinked. 

“I don’t think you understand…” She drifted off. He’d been gone. He must not remember. 

“Don’t understand what? Your name? I mean, it’s a name, what’s to understand about it?” He said, his cheerful tone still present. She scrunched her lips. Did she really have to spell it out for him?

“Heartfilia. That’s my last name,” She explained, unraveling her arms only to clasp them in her lap. 

“Yeah, it sounds familiar. What, are you a celebrity?” Was he… teasing her? Instead of leaving or getting angry or bullying her? He was from another dimension, she’d been right all along. Maybe he’d transported her there. That’s how she felt, at least. 

“You really don’t know?” She asked, and he raised his hand to the back of his neck, looking sheepish suddenly. It was utterly adorable. 

“I mean I’ve been gone for a while…” He drifted off, his way off asking for an explanation, she assumed. 

“Yeah. Modeling. In L.A. I heard,” She said, suddenly wishing she hadn’t said it. He was definitely gonna think she’s a real creeper now. Might as well bury the hatchet. “My father owns this town, real estate, resorts, shops, restaurants, everyone works for him, and everyone hates him. And since I’m his daughter, they hate me by default. Hence why I’m sitting outside in the rain by myself and no one talks to me,” She spit out, raising her hand to cover her mouth. That’s got to be the most she’s said to a person besides her dad or Cana in years. 

“Yeah, okay,” He said, and Lucy squeezed her face muscles, tensing up. There it was, the realization. She could hear the resignation in his voice. “And that makes you think I’m going to instantly hate you? Isn’t that judging too quickly?” He questioned. Lucy dropped her gaze to his chest. Why’d he have to turn it on her like that? 

“It’s just how it’s been, so I always assume… I mean… I want to protect… I’m sorry?” She finally tried, and he chuckled, causing her to look back at him. His eyes were genuine, and his smile was sweet. His eyes were full of playfulness, as if they were sharing a secret.

“Lucy, would you like to be my friend?” 

Lucy bit her lip, her eyes swelling with a sudden barrage of tears. She reached her hands up to rub them, not taking her gaze off his. 

“No one’s going to like you if you’re friends with me,” She tried, but he shook his head, cutting her off. “I haven’t had a friend in years, I would be a terrible one,” She tried, but was met with another head shake. “My father is utterly evil,” Head shake. “Its a chance you’ll get bullied-”

“Lucy, would you like to be my friend?” She bit her lip once more, his question cutting her off mid excuse. 

“Doesn’t sound like I really have a choice,” She retorted, and he laughed. It was so sincere and pure that she felt a giggle bubble up in her throat and come out her mouth. She gasped, reaching her hands up to her face, but the giggles didn’t stop. They turned into a full on cackle, Natsu’s smile so kind she couldn’t help it.

She took a deep breath to stop the giggles, and froze as he placed his hand on top of the one she had rested on her cheek. She hadn’t had anyone besides her dad or Plue touch her purposefully in years. She pulled her hand back instinctively, imagining her dad's rough palms on her cheek. She bit down on her lip, wishing instantly she hadn’t pulled away, feeling the lack of warmth, even if his touch had only been for a split second. He practically radiated warmth.

He moved his hand back, and in a moment of utter thoughtlessness, she reached out and grabbed it with both her hands. The contact was overwhelming, and it hit her instantly. His hands were warm and soft and slender, perfect for hand holding or hugs. She looked up and met his eyes. She couldn’t read his face, so she let go. 

The lunch bell chimed and Lucy bolted up, knowing kids would be walking through the courtyard soon. “You can’t be seen with me. I’ll see you later, Natsu,” She said quickly, grabbing her bag and darting down the ledge, not looking back. She thought maybe if she looked back she’d instantly fall apart, wondering about what could’ve been.

- ♛ & 🔥-

“He disappeared at lunch, just up and grabbed his bag and left. He didn’t say where he went or why, but I can’t believe he just left like that! I thought I was doing such a good job at charming him!” 

Lucy scratched out a wrong answer to her math homework in frustration, trying to ignore the conversation she couldn’t help but overhear. Why did these girls come to the public library to gossip under the pretense of studying? Couldn’t they take their gossip somewhere else?

Lucy sighed, double checking her new answer on her calculator and relaxing in relief after finding it to be right. AP Calculus was not her strong suit, but she’d already finished all the math classes that weren’t AP, so she didn’t have much of a choice. It wasn’t her fault the teacher her dad hired to homeschool her shoved her ahead in math. 

She hated the class, not because of the course material or teacher, but because she was the only junior in the class. Just another chance for her to stand out. 

Her phone timer chimed, abruptly letting her know dinner break was over and there were books waiting to be shelved and checked in. She placed her notebook and calculator in her bag, zipping it up and standing from the table. She spared a glance at the table housing the same popular group as the day before, Lisanna still droning on ideas about how to woo Natsu. They were joined by Gajeel this time, who was Levy’s boyfriend. Lucy was utterly jealous of how well they got along and how in love they were. Even then, as Mirajane threw out ideas on what Lisanna should do to win Natsu over, Levy and Gajeel were in their own world, Levy sitting in his lap, Gajeel playing with a strand of Levy’s hair. 

Lucy exhaled, making her way around the table, swinging her bag over behind the check in table. She was about to drop it when Cana looked up from her computer behind the desk and offered Lucy a wide grin. 

“Change of plans, I’m sending you home early,” Cana said, and Lucy raised her brows, tightening her grip on the strap of her bag. Had her father followed through on his threat to get her let go from her job? She couldn’t have that, this was her happy spot, the one thing she enjoyed doing. 

“Come again?” Lucy asked, her panic creeping into her tone of voice. Cana grinned, reaching over the table to pat Lucy’s hand. 

“There was a strapping young lad asking about you. I told him you were working, so he said he’d sit in the study room and wait for you to get off work to talk to you,” Cana explained, and Lucy bit her lip anxiously, unsure of what was happening. Had her dad sent someone to come get her? 

“Cana, I don’t have any _ strapping young lads  _ in my life. You must’ve mixed something up,” She said, placing her backpack down, moving to make her way behind the check in desk. 

“Well, I didn’t think so either, but he said he wanted to check in on a friend. Besides, he was so sweet to wait until you got off work, and I can’t ignore a blooming young romance when I see one. I need someone to live through after my miserable divorce,” Cana said, talking too fast for Lucy to object. “No buts out of you, dear Lucy. You’re here much too often, and it’s time you spend time with friends.” 

Lucy stared, not sure how to address the situation at hand. “Cana, that’s awfully sweet of you, but I don't have any friends,” Lucy reminded her, chewing on her lip once more. Cana must’ve been day drinking again.

“Well,  _ he, _ ” She said, dipping her head in the direction of the study rooms, “doesn’t agree with you on that statement,” Cana finished, and Lucy turned her attention towards the study rooms. She nearly jumped when she found a grin with onyx gem eyes only a few feet away, bounding towards her with a quick step. 

No. Not here. He couldn’t… There were too many people, too many kids from school, too many watching eyes.

“Hey Lucy!” Natsu exclaimed with a grin, causing Lucy’s inside to somersault. What was he doing here? 

“What are you doing here?” Lucy voiced her thoughts, immediately cringing at the harsh undertone of her voice. Natsu didn’t seem to notice it, though, and just stopped in front of her, his hands resting on his backpack straps. 

“Came to visit a friend. Didn’t realize you work here, though,” He said, his large smile unwavering, as if it was glued to his face, immovable. 

“That just won’t do, unfortunately,” Cana cut in. Lucy glared at her. Traitor. “I’m sending Lucy… erm… ‘home sick’” Cana said, making air quotes around the end of the sentence. “Go on kids, no talking in my library,” Cana ordered, and Lucy gave her a we’ll-talk-about-this-later look as she followed Natsu’s springy step out of the library. 

She knew she needed to pick her battles, and she would lose this one with Cana if she argued, anyways. 

Natsu pushed the library door open, and Lucy slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked out the door after him. He closed the door behind her, having held it open for her, and Lucy immediately turned to him. There was a light pitter patter of rain, but not as much as there had been at lunch earlier that day.

Lucy grabbed Natsu’s hand suddenly, forgetting all the training she’d done to not show emotion. She pulled him all the way around the corner of the front until they were hidden in the alley between the library and the building next to it. 

She stopped when she was satisfied no one was near and whirled, pointing her finger at him. “What do you think you’re doing here?” She said in a harsh hushed whisper yell, exasperated. She dropped his hand suddenly, realizing abruptly that she had just pulled him into a back alley. She prayed to the spirits in the sky no one saw her actions. 

“Visiting a friend,” He said, and Lucy waited a few seconds for a longer explanation before realizing there wasn’t going to be one. She crossed her arms and looked down at her feet for a second, gathering her courage, before looking back at him. 

“What do you want from me?” She basically snapped out, her voice half accusation half question. She honestly didn’t know the answer to the question, even if that was probably normal in a friendship. But she didn’t have friendships, or friends who visited her at work, or people who sat and ate lunch with her in the rain. That element of the world wasn’t in her life, period, end of story. 

“What do you mean?” Natsu asked right back, causing Lucy to groan. These were too many emotions, so many more than the dull nothingness she kept consistent in her life.

“I don’t have friends, Natsu!” She yelled, splaying her hands out at her sides, her arms tensed. “People don’t talk to me, they don’t like me, they ignore me, they laugh behind my back, they lie, and they definitely don’t befriend me!”   


She felt the first tear fall, but kept going. “I don’t get to be happy, I don’t get to be normal! I don’t get to enjoy happiness and I don’t get to dream. And I most certainly don’t get or deserve pretty, kind, adorable, gentle boys wanting to be my friend! I’m nobody, an unwanted, a forgotten, an ignored! I’m not supposed to feel… to feel…” Lucy trailed off the tears becoming too overwhelming to keep speaking, her voice breaking, the tears dripping from her cheeks into her open mouth. 

She closed her mouth suddenly, wiping the tears at her eyes. She watched Natsu frown through a blurred vision due to the tears. She met his eyes, hoping he could see the sincerity she was conveying through her outburst. 

He stepped forward, and Lucy braced herself, all too accustomed to angry strong men. Instead of a hard sting to the face, warm arms engulfed her, blocking out the splats of rain on her upper body. Lucy felt herself being pulled against something warm and hard. She opened her eyes and found herself level with Natsu’s chest. In disbelief, she pulled her arms up, trying to push him off her. 

“N-no, you d-don’t understand, I d-don’t deserve this!” Lucy got out, the sobs making talking hard as her lungs struggled for breath through the tears. “I-I’m not worth it, y-you don’t want to b-be my friend, I-I p-promise!”

Natsu rested a hand on her head, pulling it in tighter to his chest. He used his other hand to grab hers, raising it up to rest on his waist. He left his top hand on her head, stroking her hair. Lucy sobbed, giving in to the comfort his touch gave her over the fight to push him away. 

It was too hard, he was too perfect. All of a sudden, she felt her resolve against befriending him shatter, and she practically collapsed into his chest, the sobs racking harder and louder, the rain lightly hitting her exposed areas of skin. With Natsu’s warm body pressed against so many pieces of her, Lucy couldn’t help but feel loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo a nice ending that'd warm anyone's heart. Hopefully it'll last. The next chapter is a NaLu filled treat that I had a blast writing, so get excited. Your kudos and comments fuel my writing time and motivate me so drop any ideas or reactions below! Love you all and see you next update! Xx


	4. Live With Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Natsu hang out and get to know each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another chapter! Blessing you guys with this one as it's fully Nalu from top to bottom, pure enjoyment for me to write. I'm working fast on the next chapter so here's to a quicker update next time. Enjoy! Xx

Chapter 4: Live With Myself

_ Now that it's over / I just wanna hold her / I've gotta live with the choices I made / And I can't live with myself today _

After what felt like forever and a second, Lucy pulled out of Natsu’s grip, her tears dry and her breaths steady once more. He still had a frown on his face, but it wasn’t one of anger, just one of dissatisfaction. 

“Who hurt you?” He asked, placing his hands on her shoulders, squaring her right in front of him. Lucy swallowed, not wanting the tears to start again. 

“No one hurt me, I’ve dug my own grave and now I must rest in it,” Lucy answered honestly. She couldn’t blame a specific person, and when she tried to, it all came right back around to blaming herself. A circular cycle of pain. 

“I don’t believe that. But we can talk of building your self confidence up later. Right now, I think you’re hungry. Are you hungry? I definitely am,” Natsu said, piling the words on top of one another. He got louder as he got more excited. It was adorable. Lucy snorted, extra snot coming out of her nose with the motion. She wiped her nose with her sleeve, realizing Natsu just witnessed her ugly cry, snot and all. 

“Yeah, I guess I am,” She replied, and Natsu grinned something special. 

“Time for some grub!” He exclaimed, pulling Lucy back towards the parking lot. She looked down at his hand on her wrist and removed it, but he was so excited about the food he didn’t seem to notice. He then led her to a brown pickup that looked like it was from the 1980s in the library parking lot. Lucy chuckled at the sight and made her way around to the passenger side. 

She put her hand on the door handle just as the situation settled into her bones. She was getting in a boy’s car. Even more important, she was getting in a friend’s car. A car that wasn’t her’s, her dad’s or her dad’s lackey’s. A normal rustbucket. She breathed out, the scent of drizzling rain soothing her. The excitement buildup feeling in her stomach that made her want to vomit and squeal at the same time seemed to be a constant when she was around Natsu.

She opened the door and stepped onto the ledge, hoisting herself into the passenger seat. She almost choked after closing the door, the scent in the car so nasty and new.

“How can you smell so good, but your car smells so bad?” Lucy commented, buckling her seatbelt and biting her lip as she realized she told him he smelled good. She breathed out. It was a fact, so it couldn’t be used against her. 

“Cat,” He said while starting up the engine, and Lucy almost let out another laugh. What did he mean, cat? “Happy! Come here buddy,” Natsu called, and Lucy looked to the backseat just as a cat came jumping over the seat, right into the spot between the two front seats. Lucy jumped, looking at Natsu, who was focused on the road, pulling out of the parking lot of the library. 

Lucy looked back at the cat, who had climbed onto the dashboard in front of her. She waited for Natsu to scold the cat, but he didn’t seem to care. 

“What’s its name?” Lucy asked, tilting back in the seat, a bit frightened by the cat's sudden appearance. 

“Happy. He’s a Persian,” Natsu explained, sparing the cat an endearing look while turning. Lucy realized she had no clue where Natsu was taking her. She sat up, tentatively, with hopes of the cat not startling. She glanced out the windshield when she was finally at full height, recognizing the industrial area they were driving through. She had a feeling she knew where he was going, but she left it to be. 

She was just about to ask Natsu something when the cat decided he was comfortable with her and jumped right into her lap. Lucy froze, a shriek escaping her lips, not knowing what to do. Cat’s weren’t bunnies, this was not her area of expertise. 

“Calm down, this means he likes you!” Natsu said calmly, pulling into the drive through line of one of the popular fast food restaurants in the town. 

Lucy reached her hand out slowly, softly patting the fluffy cat’s head. It let out a purr, and Lucy grinned. “He’s so soft!” She exclaimed, stroking the cats head the same way she did Plue’s. “You’re pretty sweet, huh?” She said to the cat. He huffed and readjusted so he was curled on her lap in a sleeping position. “Wait, hold on. Is he blue?” Lucy asked when Natsu turned the car lights on, light illuminating the light blue sheen on the cats fur. 

“Yeah, when I was modeling, he was my emotional support pet, so he was in the dressing room. One day he got into the hairstylists cart and boom, he accidentally dyed his hair blue. Some of it’s faded, but I’m not sure it’ll ever come out all the way,” Natsu explained, and Lucy laughed, continuing to stroke the cat. 

“You’re a mischievous little guy, huh?” Lucy said to the cat. He didn’t budge from his curled spot on her lap, causing Lucy to laugh again. “I think we’re going to get along just fine, Happy,” She said, just as Natsu pulled up to the drive through window. He ordered for both of them, which made Lucy feel extremely weird, as she’d never gone through a drive through with another person in the car with her before. Well, besides the times she’d driven a drunk Cana home and stopped at 12am for some fries. 

“You’re one lucky cat,” She continued to the cat, moving her fingers to scratch behind his ears. “You’ve got a pretty good owner over there, huh?” She said, her voice going up to the high pitch everyone’s voices do when speaking to animals. “I quite like your blue hair,” Lucy commented, enjoying the light sheen. 

Natsu made a sound and Lucy looked up to see one of those grins on his face. “If I’d known my cat would make you like me, I would’ve brought him out immediately,” He teased, and Lucy smiled, watching the coroners of his eyes crinkle and his mouth open wide. His grin was so big and genuine, full of such character. He was a big ball of character, filled to the brim with personality and kindness and delight. Not to ignore the fact that he was also beautiful on the outside. That much could be proven by the fact that he had been a model, though. 

Lucy lifted herself up on the seat and pulled herself from her thoughts as Natsu paid the drive through person and grabbed the food. He pulled out, and Lucy grabbed the bags from him, watching as he exited the parking lot. 

Lucy realized it was going to get dark soon, the sun having the pre sunset glimmer. She tensed up as Natsu started driving in a direction she didn’t know. If she got home late, past when her dad knew her shift ended, he would get suspicious or angry or both. And it was in Lucy’s best interest and welfare to keep her father from getting angry. 

“Where are we going?” Lucy asked, trying to keep her voice as casual as possible. Natsu was being nice to her and the last thing she wanted was for him to think she didn’t appreciate his efforts. 

“It’s a surprise. You know the area, so you’ll figure it out soon enough,” Natsu explained, and Lucy couldn’t help but smile. A surprise. He was surprising her. Less than 30 minutes ago she was crying and trying to push him away and now he was surprising her. 

She froze for a second, considering just what surprise meant. Was that a romantic thing? Didn’t boyfriends normally surprise their girlfriends with mystery events? Or could it be a trick? She felt a tinge of guilt the second the question popped into her head. There was no way Natsu could be tricking her into a prank or a bully? 

Lucy closed her eyes and blew out a 4-7-8 breath, holding Happy the way he held Plue. The cat didn’t seem to mind and seemed to understand the exercise. Natsu had said that Happy was an emotional support pet when he was a model. 

“I’m not trying to make you anxious,” Natsu said, and Lucy felt that guilt ping again. “I forget that not everyone loves surprises like I do. You have nothing to worry about, Lucy.”

Lucy nodded and blinked slowly, looking out at the horizon. They were out towards the slopes now, headed towards where there would be snow if it was winter and not fall. Natsu made a sharp turn and then pulled up into a parking lot. 

Lucy gasped. There was a snow reservoir, a lake saved for fake snow creation in the winter. The water was pure blue, and the mountains surrounding the lake were dusted with the beginning of winter snow. The pine trees stood thick and tall, their scent warming the air. Lucy sighed in content. 

Natsu grabbed the food bag from her lap after putting the car in park and put his seat back a bit, casually looking out at the view. He opened the bag and grabbed out his food, handing the rest to Lucy, who dug into her fries immediately. They were warm and salty, completing the perfect moment. Lucy spared a glance at Natsu, feeling bashful for looking at him so much. He was staring out at the view, his eyes glazed over in thought or memory. This place meant something to him, which meant even more to Lucy. He’d taken her to a personal place. 

“Why’d you come back to Magnolia?” Lucy asked suddenly around a mouthful of fries, wanting to break the silence. She wanted to learn more about him and be a good friend in return. She had to somehow make up for everything he’d already done for her. 

It was silent to the point of border uncomfortable, and with every second Lucy dreaded she asked the wrong question. Finally, Natsu adjusted his body so he was facing towards her. His gaze was contemplative. 

“I got tired of the city lights,” He said, and Lucy looked down at her half eaten burger. All she’d ever dreamed of were the city lights. “Don’t get me wrong, it was good at first, I had all this attention and all this fame and all this money and the gigs and the praise and the ego boosters, it was all fulfilling,” He ran on, and Lucy stayed silent. She crunched up the empty food wrappers and put them back in the bag. Natsu doing the same. Happy immediately leaped into her empty lap.

“But then it was like I was chasing the fame, and I realized it was better to let it go than to constantly chase the glory. I got caught in those bright city lights. They promised me everything.”

Lucy met his eyes. They were so dark, and in moments like these they were so intense. She could feel the profound deepness of his words just through his gaze. She felt so many things just from his gaze. She wanted him to trap her in his gaze just as the city lights trapped him. Better yet, she wanted to be trapped in the city lights with him. She wanted to be with him. 

With just a few words he trapped her. She was lousy at keeping her emotions in check. All those years, and all he had to do was mutter a few beautiful words and offer her comfort in the cold. And boom, she was a goner. Trapped.

“I’ve always wanted to be trapped in the city lights,” She spoke up, her voice a musty tone she didn’t realize she had in her. All of her emotions had pulled up behind her words. His expression shifted to something softer. It was a gaze of understanding. 

“I hate Magnolia. I hate my father. I hate this place, and I hate what it’s done to me. I said before I blame myself for my pain, but if I were to find a second target, it would be this place.” 

Lucy breathed in. She had wanted to say this forever, and she knew Natsu understood she needed to get this out. She trusted him. 

“Magnolia is rotten. I despise it. My fathers a rat, a tyrant. I know this, how could I not? But these people, they- they just assume, that I’m this- this, monster! That I’m my father! And I understand the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and all that bullshit, but they don’t even give me a chance! They chose hate, when all I wanted was love. Love in any direction. Love from others, a chance to love, anything relating to love! So after so many years of wanting love and receiving hate in return, I choose hate. I don’t care if it makes me a bad person. I don’t care if I should be the bigger person. I’ve chosen hate.” Lucy was out of breath by the end of the outburst, her hands up next to her chest, her stomach deflating as she regained her airflow. She brought her hands together and watched them shake.

She hadn’t raised her voice like that in such a long time. 

“Makes you want to scream, doesn’t it?” Natsu said quietly, and Lucy looked up from her hands. His eyes were holding that intensity, but his look had promise. Lucy nodded, spent after her last outburst, unable to utter words. 

Natsu opened the door of his side of the car and got out. Lucy followed suit, confused on why he suddenly wanted to get out of the car. She made her way to his side and he pulled her over towards the trees. When they were in a spot a bit away from the empty parking lot, save for their car, Natsu turns towards the woods and lets out an abrupt, throaty scream. 

Lucy jumps at the pain she can hear in his throat. He doesn’t show it, not like she does. She wouldn’t have known the pain he was feeling unless he showed it to her. She’d have to learn more about just what happened to him later. 

“Do it, Luce. Scream.”

So, with the exhilaration of him suddenly giving her a nickname and her explosion of sudden anger, Lucy screamed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone's doing good and staying safe. Comment and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think. I'm quite a few chapters ahead on this one, so we'll see how often I post, it should be more than my normal erratic scheduling.


End file.
